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Intact

Green Hill Zone (グリーンヒル,Gurīn Hiru?, lit. "Green Hill"), also known as just Green Hill (グリーンヒル,Gurīn Hiru?), is a recurring location in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. A natural paradise of a Zone, Green Hill Zone was the first location Sonic the Hedgehog passed through during his mission to free South Island from the tyranny of Dr. Eggman. Since then, the Zone has returned in many shapes and forms, although always as part of Sonic and his allies' journey to foil threats to the world.

Green Hill Zone is known for being one of the most famous and iconic video game levels of all time, and was the first Sonic experience for many people.

Contents

Description

Green Hill Zone is a picturesque mountain paradise with green fields and beautiful blue lakes. It features large waterfall vistas, palm trees, rotating flowers, flora in various colors and totem poles of unknown origin. Perhaps most distinctively, the soil is checkered brown, and most of the local plant life appear to have unfamiliar geometric appearances to it. Obstacles include crumbling platforms and spikes in the original iteration. Several other regions have also been known to feature Green Hill-like aesthetics.

History

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

Mega Drive

In the original 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, Green Hill was a paradise with green fields and blue lakes. It featured big waterfalls, palm trees, rotating flowers, totem poles, and its iconic checkered soil.

At the end of his adventure, Sonic made a brief return to Green Hill Zone. There, he discovered that the Zone was now free of Badniks and thronging with celebrating Animals. Having collected all the Chaos Emeralds as well, Sonic released them from his hands, while the Emeralds started to spin; after a big flash, the Chaos Emeralds had disappeared and all the flowers of Green Hill Zone had changed their look, making the Zone even more beautiful. With everything said and done, Sonic struck his victory pose.

Master System/Game Gear

In the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, Green Hill Zone was filled with rolling plains of green and jauntily colored flowers. In addition, this iteration sported underwater areas, a rarity among the Green Hill layouts. However, after coming into power on South Island, Robotnik would install spike pits and set his ubiquitous Badniks loose on the verdant landscape.

Green Hill Zone was the first Zone Sonic traveled through on his mission to end Robotnik's evil operations on South Island. After being defeated for the final time, Robotnik fled from his Sky Base to escape through Green Hill Zone. However, Sonic followed him there through a teleporter, which transported him to just above the Eggman Mobile, thus allowing Sonic to deal Robotnik the finishing blow. Afterward, Sonic released the six Chaos Emeralds he had found, which made the pollution above South Island disappear.

During Sonic and Knuckles' mission to find the missing Chaos Emeraldshards and stop Robotnik's latest plan, the two rivals first made their way through Green Hill Zone, making it the first of many Zone they would pass through.

Sonic Jump series

Sonic Jump (2005)

In Sonic Jump, the Green Hill Zone seemed to prominently feature a rocky mountain. The iconic loop-de-loop is absent as well.

After receiving an urgent call from Tails, Sonic would make his way through Green Hill Zone on the way to Tails' Research Facility. Little did Sonic know that Green Hill Zone was but the first of many regions he had to pass through on his new adventure.

Sonic Jump (2012)

In Sonic Jump (2012), Sonic and co. would travel through Green Hill Zone in order to reach Dr. Eggman and stop his hunt for Animals. After they managed to corner Eggman however, the doctor escaped to another Zone, although not before capturing more Animals.

Sonic eventually arrived in Green Hill Zone after he received a call from Tails, who needed his help dealing with the Marauders. Ever the hero, Sonic began making his way through Green Hill Zone to Tails in Central City. Along the way, Sonic noticed that the local animals had become strangely belligerent and prone to attack on sight; this behavior was later discovered (by the beleaguered Dr. Madden) to have been caused by signal-generating machines hidden around the area.

While making his way through Green Hill Zone, Sonic met Amy, who joined his party and helped him get past a Marauder Scout blocking the way out of Green Hill Zone. Sonic and his team later returned to Green Hill Zone to look for the missing Knuckles, only to find the area overrun by robots. Investigating some old Eggman hideouts, the team found no trace of Knuckles. However, they did found some Communicators that led them straight to him. Sonic and co. soon after returned to Green Hill Zone again to find Dr. Eggman. Along the way, they managed to recruit Cream for their party after helping her find Cheese. Eventually, Dr. Eggman himself was discovered, operating out of an underground hideout. There, Eggman convinced Sonic and co. to let him help them in their quest to stop the Marauders.

Sonic Generations

In both the console/PC and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, Green Hill received a more realistic appearance. This time around, as a side-effect of the Time Eater's time-traveling, a past version of Green Hill got transported to the White Space where it was drained of color and life.

After ending up in the White Space, Sonic paid a visit to Green Hill when he first saw it in that realm. By speeding through Green Hill, Sonic was able to fix space, thereby restoring Green Hill and, by extension, Tails from their lifeless states. When the Time Eater later got destroyed, Green Hill was seemingly returned to its rightful place in the timeline.

Sonic Runners Adventure

In Sonic Runners Adventure, Green Hill Zone possessed its green-striped grassy plains and checkered soil. It also had a bright blue sky, and a wide lake in which many blocky islands and mountains sat in. It was also filled with many palm trees, flowers, and running waterfalls.

While Tails wandered around Green Hill, Dr. Eggman caught him using his Mind Control Ray and forced him to built him a robot teleporter. Eventually though, Tails got an emergency transmission out to Sonic. Hoping to find Tails, Sonic arrived in Green Hill where he followed the eyewitness accounts of local Flickies and clues left behind by Eggman and his robots. Eventually, Sonic located a Badnik-producing facility and shut it down before rescuing Tails from Eggman's clutches. There, the fox cub brought Sonic up to speed on what he knew had happened to him. Afterward, Sonic tracked Eggman down and defeated him in battle. However, Eggman would escape through his damaged robot teleporter in the aftermath, forcing Sonic and Tails to follow him through said device.

Sonic Forces

In Sonic Forces, Green Hill Zone had been turned into a partial desert due to the heavy desertification caused by Dr. Eggman's industries.[1] As a result, sandworms had taken up residence in the otherwise peaceful region.

While on a recon mission to Arsenal Pyramid, E-123 Omega jumped the gun and launched an attack on the base by himself. Within it, he encountered Infinite, who made short work of the robot using his new power.[2]Shadow the Hedgehog soon after came to the facility to find Omega, only to encounter Infinite instead. After explaining his backstory to Shadow and how the black hedgehog had humiliated him a few months prior, Infinite trapped Shadow in a illusion. Although Shadow soon escaped it, Infinite was still pleased with the results. As the facility then began exploding around them, Infinite made his escape while Shadow was forced to withdraw.[3]

A month later, while traveling through Green Hill, Sonic received an emergency call from Tails, who needed his help in the City, prompting Sonic to leave the desert-like region. Six months later, after Sonic was rescued from prison by the Avatar, the two ventured to Green Hill to destroy Eggman's base, the Arsenal Pyramid. Tails and Classic Sonic later traveled to Green Hill to find Eggman. There, they witnessed a meeting between Eggman and Infinite, and learned some vital information from them. After Eggman and Infinite parted ways however, Classic Sonic emerged to battle Eggman. Although Eggman ultimately lost to Classic Sonic, the doctor ensured the victorious duo that he would defeat the Resistance and have the world for himself in just three short days, before making his escape.

When the Resistance needed to destroy the Death Egg, the Avatar went to Green Hill where they distracted Eggman's forces so the others could attack the Death Egg. While there, the Avatar got attacked by the Death Crab, but managed to defeat it. In the aftermath, the Resistance successfully reclaimed Green Hill from the Eggman Empire. After the Resistance destroyed the Death Egg, Eggman and his lackeys retreated from their spot in Green Hill to Metropolis.

Other game appearances

Sonic Drift

Green Hill Zone also appears alongside other Zones from Sonic the Hedgehog as a racetrack in Sonic Drift. Its appearance generally remains unchanged from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Green Hill Zone tracks from all Chaos GP cups are mostly simple and feature only few direct bends. Because of this, Green Hill Zone from red Chaos GP is the most challenging track of all three.

Sonic Jam

Sonic Adventure 2

Green Hill Zone returned in Sonic Adventure 2, as the first time in full 3D form and as an extra stage that can be unlocked by collecting all 180 emblems in the game. The music is a remixed version of the original music, and when Sonic jumps or destroys an enemy, the same sound effects from the original game are played instead of the new sound effects from Sonic Adventure 2. The level's layout is similar to the original level, but shifts land instead of going straight.

Sonic Battle

In Sonic Battle, Green Hill Zone appears as a battlefield, unlocked by completing Emerl's story. The arena is wide, with many open areas and platforms. Although not officially stated to be in Green Hill Zone, Emerald Town in Sonic Battle has similar palm trees and checkerboard rock faces identical to those seen in the original Zone.

Sonic Jump series

Sonic Jump 2

Green Hill Zone returned as the first Zone of Sonic Jump 2. This iteration of Green Hill Zone seems to prominently feature a rocky mountain and the iconic loop-de-loop is absent as well. It is also given a new background music which would then be remixed in the later Sonic Jump games.

Sonic Jump Fever

In Sonic Jump Fever, Green Hill Zone is the first Zone in the game. In addition to its iconic traits, like green grass, checkered soil, mountains and waterfalls and loop-de-loop, the Zone includes small platforms that basically consist of the grass with a partial portion of the soil. Aesthetics on the platforms of the Zone include flowers, wooden fences, and a totem poles.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Sonic Dash

In Sonic Dash, in July 2016, to coincide with the series' 25th anniversary and in celebration of achieving 200 million downloads, an update added Green Hill Zone as a new level, complete with the stage's original music.

Appearances in non-Sonic games

Super Smash Bros. series

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Green Hill Zone is an unlockable stage, which is obtained by unlocking Sonic. The stage features its classic style and terrain, and familiar Green Hill objects such as palm trees, totem poles, item boxes, and spinning flowers.

It features Green Hill Zone's music along with Scrap Brain Zone's music from the original game, and other iconic soundtracks from other Sonic games. The background also includes moving platforms (either swinging or levitating up and down), spikes, and Rings. And just as in the original Green Hill Zone from the first game, the middle section of the land crumbles after a while of fighting on it. Luckily, it is the only section of land that does so in this level.
A midway lamp post sometimes appears in the stage. When hit, it spins, damaging characters that go near it (except for the character that hit the post).

Most iconic of this stage is the famous shuttle loop, in which Tails, Knuckles and Silver make cameo appearances by occasionally running through the loop. If the Pokémon Trainer is present during the match, he will be standing on top of the loop (instead of the 1-Up Monitor that is usually there).

Sega Splash Golf

In the Japanese PC game Sega Splash Golf, there are a number of courses themed after Sega franchises. The Sonic the Hedgehog course looks very similar to Green Hill Zone with checkered hills, green grass and floating Rings. There are also containers on the course taken from Sonic Adventure 2.

Samba de Amigo Wii

There is a Sonic-themed level of the Sonic Team game Samba de Amigo Wii. This level takes place in Green Hill Zone where the protagonist, Amigo dances alongside Sonic the Hedgehog himself. There are also many Miis and Chao dancing on the sides.

Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax

In the Japanese arcade game Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax, one of the stages taken from the SEGA franchise, aside from Valkyria Chronicles, is Green Hill Zone, with the design taken from Sonic Generations where the Springs and Dashpads are from Modern Sonic and the Rings are also visible.

LEGO Dimensions

Green Hill Zone in LEGO Dimensions.

Green Hill Zone appears in LEGO Dimensions as the first part of the Sonic Dimensions level pack and part of the Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure World. Brick-built Moto Bugs, Buzz Bombers, Choppers, and Newtrons appear as enemies in the Level Pack. Tails' Lab (based on its appearance in Sonic the Fighters) and a shooting gallery modeled after Big the Cat and Froggy can be built in Green Hill Zone in the Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure World. The portal to the Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure World is also modeled after Green Hill Zone's iconic loop-de-loop.

Reception

Critical reception

Green Hill Zone is known for being one of the most famous and iconic video game levels of all time. It has received consistently positive opinions from critics, particularly for its music. Craig Snyder at MakeUseOf named the level as one of the five best levels in video games, calling it "a great way to prepare for what’s to come".[5] Tim Turi from GameInformer found the level's music "catchy",[6] and Wong ranked it as the thirteenth greatest piece of gaming music from the 16-bit era.[7] In 2010, Sega's community manager, Aaron Webber, returned from a vacation to find his cubicle redecorated to resemble Green Hill; IGN's Levi Buchanan claimed that "everyone wants to come back to" this,[8] and Owen Good of Kotaku exclaimed "I want to work in Green Hill Zone, too!"[9] Writing for the Sabotage Times, Carl Anka ranked the original Sonic the Hedgehog as having the greatest music of any video game, largely as a result of Green Hill Zone's theme.[10]

Impact and legacy

Debuting as the first Zone in the original 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, Green Hill Zone was the first Sonic experience for many people.

Green Hill Zone has been recognized by critics as a classic, well-known video game level. It has been described as "classic" by Samit Sarkar of Polygon and by Jim Sterling and Chris Carter of Destructoid.[13][14][15] Comparably, Joe Skrebels of Official Nintendo Magazine called it "nostalgic",[12] while Christopher Grant from Joystiq considered it to have a place "in the center of your retro-gaming shrine".[16] Kevin Wong of Complex stated that the game's and level's popularity were such that "even if you didn't have a Genesis, this was the level you played at the department store while your parents went shopping."[7] Andy Kelly from Computer and Video Games called the Green Hill theme a "monumental slice of Sega nostalgia",[17] and GamesRadar writer Justin Towell also referred to it as classic.[18] Anka has summarized that "Green Hill Zone in the original game has gone down as an instantly recognizable piece of music in pop culture".[10]

To mark Sonic's 15th anniversary in 2006, Sega released a papercraft version of Green Hill as a PDF on its website.[16] In 2011, not long after the release of Sonic Generations release, Sega held a contest inviting gamers to upload playthroughs of the game's 3D version of Green Hill completed in under one minute and fifty seconds to YouTube; winners were eligible for Sonic merchandise.[19]

Trivia

Green Hill is the most recurring Zone in the Sonic series, having appeared a total of twenty-three times, with Seaside Hill from Sonic Heroes being the second.

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, while Sonic reminisces on the "good times" he had in Green Hill Zone, Tails asks how Eggman's kidnapping of small animals and turning them into robots could have been "good times". Strangely, Tails first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and never officially went through Green Hill Zone during the events of Sonic the Hedgehog.

In the 16-bit version for the Mega Drive, this is one of two Zones in which an Invincibility TV can help with the boss, the other being Spring Yard Zone. It is hidden in a high tree which Sonic can grab by leaping off the end of the hill at top speed. In fact, the boss can be defeated before it even wears off.

Green Hill Zone appeared in fighting games such as Sonic Battle, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, making it a battlefield for five times.